3 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Overdo It at the Gym

New Year, new workout routine…we totally, totally get it. However! There is such a thing as doing too much good for, well, your own good. Here, Greg Justice, an exercise phsyiologist and author of Mind Your Own Fitness, explains three harmful side effects that can occur when you push yourself too hard.

1. You can get headaches
Seems like a random side effect of hitting the gym, right? It’s not. Think about it: When you lift heavier weights, you often clench your teeth to go the extra mile, right? That very action can trigger major headaches, Justice explains. If you’re a jaw clencher—and you may not even know if you are one, so pay attention next time— then he suggests picking up a mouth guard from a sporting goods store, which will run you $5 to $10 bucks.

You could also ask your dentist for a protective appliance that mimics an ideal bite—those are anywhere from $75 to $150. Finally, you could try being more mindful and telling yourself to relax your jaw when you’re lifting heavy. That’s hard, though, cautions Justice, because it’s difficult to be meditative and intense at the same time.

2. You can actually lose sleep
In theory, working out should wear you out just enough so that you sleep like a baby each night. That’s because working out for the Goldilocks amount of time (150 minutes of moderate intensity activity per week of is the standard) decreases the stress hormone cortisol in your body, Justice explains. Problem is, if you work out too hard, your body actually releases more cortisol—so you end up all bugged out and stressed and therefore not as able to rest well at night. The worst part? Lack of sleep is linked to weight gain—so, in a total counterintuitive twist, you could end up gaining weight by having good intentions and working out too much. Oh, the irony!

3. You can get sick more easily
Again, it seems weird that doing a seemingly healthy thing can have unhealthy consequences. But while moderate exercise is proven to protect against getting colds and the flu, overdoing it at the gym wears your body down so much so that it ends up wearing down your immune system, making you more susceptible to illnesses that may come your way, says Justice. And in the winter, there’s a lot going around—so you’ve got to be extra careful.

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